Superman, Sinatra, and Albert Einstein

Written by Tom Being Tom

When Superman himself sends you a challenge, you answer.

My good friend, Bill, mentioned me in his mighty blog – of which there is no equal – and asked that I join in on the 3, 2, 1 quote challenge. Not being a superhero in my own right I didn’t fully understand the rules, so I asked: “what are the rules?”

Billy Mac responded with this: “Thank the 1 blogger that mentioned you. Post 2 quotes. Then select 3 others to take up the challenge.”

Or something like that.

Then I said: “Is there a theme?”

And he said: “…”

At the time of this writing he hadn’t responded to that question. Probably lives in a later time zone than me. Or is in the Fortress of Solitude or off in deep space defending Thanagar from Mongul or something.

Five merits to anyone who understood any of that.

So I’m going to move on (a) without a theme, and (b) by thanking Bill the Thrill for his recommendation. I’ll fail as little as possible.

But before I get into the quotes business I want to reach out to folks across the aether and recommend three wonderful stalwarts to take up this challenge. Jane, you are the queen of quotes so you get one. Go to town. Your theme is faith. (I’m making the rules here!).

Dylan, you’re up next. When you read this in July of 2020 you must take up the challenge. The world needs you. Your theme is perseverance. Hate me later.

Jen? Jen? Jen are you still out there? You started a thing now continue it. Maybe you just need a … um … challenge? Okay, give me two quotes, a good four or five whacks with a paddle, and a big hug. Your theme is determination.

Now that I’ve gotten the hard stuff out of the way, here’s a quote or two:

There is some dispute over whether Albie actually said this, and it’s probably true that he didn’t. But I have always liked this quote and I like it being attributed to this guy, so there. It’s my blog I’ll misquote if I want to. The gist of this one is easy to understand: there are no limits to human stupidity. “Human stupidity,” Harari says, “is one of the most important forces in history.” That’s an actual quote. And it’s true. We live in a time of infinite information, the entirety of human knowledge is open to us, and instead of solving the enigmatic conundrums of mankind we watch reality TV, elect idiot celebrities to high office, and refuse to give up our belief in sky-daddies. We can create societies with universal health care and sensible gun laws all around the world (finite intelligence) and deny it all in the “greatest democracy the world has ever seen” (infinite stupidity). As Einstein also once said: “Oy vey.”

Okay, so this one is probably attributable to Dean Martin. Or Jack Lemmon. But, come on, you know it’s true. Considering the infinite potential of human stupidity (see above) you know that we can probably wake up feeling good most days and have that feeling ruined just after breakfast by idiot drivers/presidential tweets/work hassles. But, then, when you get home from work (or take a good, long lunch) and pour that first ice cold adult beverage in a mug/over ice/into stemware you begin to feel like you just woke up again from the best dream. Or not, if you don’t drink. If you don’t drink you just sit there and stew about the day in an endless fury of ineffectual rumination. Frank Sinatra feels sorry for you. Or he would if he were alive and/or said this quote. I don’t mind if you do and I don’t mind if you don’t, to be frank. I’m three drinks in; life is good.

Thanks again, Billy Superman, for the prompt. I finally got to use the phrase “an endless fury of ineffectual rumination.” Checked. That. Off.

I hope I did ya proud. 🍻

60 thoughts on “Superman, Sinatra, and Albert Einstein”

  3. No Nietzsche huh? 😂

    “That which does not kill us makes us stronger” … and all of that.

    I like you writing inebriated.
    Don’t be afraid to use colour.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. That’s a good one, too. I chose my two strategically, but not romantically. Romantically, there were definitely other options.

      In fact, THAT one is one of Mrs C’s favorites. Maybe she should start a blog. 🤔

      My inebriation for the night has hit it’s limit; I’m about to turn in. I honestly did think about using a couple of color pics, but Sinatra and Albie just looked right in b&w. Artistically, I’m not advanced. Inebriated-ly, I am.

      I love the name choice. You are Chris to so many, but you’ll always be -ie to me. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Color in your writing brother 😆 I love the b&w pics…always. The ie. was for you. I knew you would notice 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Pastor Tom! I feel anointed by some higher power now that I’ve read this post. (Or it’s simply sleep deprivation.) A wise old Texas lawman once said, “You can’t fix stupid.” And I felt it was my ultimate “Ah-Ha” moment. Then, I read this! You have handled this challenge as only a man named Tom could. Bravo!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. And here I thought “you can’t fix stupid” was attributable to Ron White. Quotes are harder to pin down than Dwayne Johnson!

      (I think that quote is attributable to Ken Shamrock 😏).

      Thank you for coming the service this morning, Kim, your blessings bless me. I am, after all, a humble servant of the faith. 😁

      Now go forth and multiply (the number of beverages you imbibe)!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. That Einstein quote is one of my favorites, whether or not he actually said it. It reminds me of this meme I like, “People can be anything they want on the internet, but why do they choose to be so stupid?” 😂 I love that meme for trolls!
    I also keep thinking about how much people want money or fame or power, but when we look at most people who have all of those things, they choose to spend their precious time and mind-blowing resources trying to acquire even more of money, fame, power, INSTEAD of lifting others up and vastly improving the world.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Ha! That’s awesome, and I haven’t seen that one. It’s true; the internet brings out the stupid in so many. My own trolls tend to be easy going folk in regular life, but online they become rabid dogs. Maybe there’s gamma rays coming off these screens!

      I’ve often heard that Donald Trump don’t drink (“never has!”) and that might explain a lot. This is what happens, folks, when you don’t leisurely imbibe: you become a self-serving, egotistical, lying asshole. And the only people that like you are the ones that hope to get something from you, and the moment they don’t they’ll be on the witness stand against you.

      At what grade should we start teaching our children that? 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. As Einstein also almost certainly said, Mazel tov! And I got Mongol mixed up with Mongo, who liked candy, which reminded me of some wisdom from another member of Einstein’s tribe: “Zeit nicht meshuggeh.”
    If we try that, with reason and understanding, there’s still hope for Homo sapiens as a species. Abee gezint!

    Liked by 1 person

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